The Beatles’ Video “Free As A Bird”with...A Listing of the 111 Beatles Songs Alluded to in the Videoand...A Look at the Other New Beatles Song & Video, “Real Love”When we did Sgt. Pepper, we pretended we were other people.It sometimes helps to get a little bit of a scenario going in your mind.So we pretended that John had just rung us up and said, “I’m going on holiday in Spain.There’s this little song that I like.Finish it up for me.I trust you.”Those were kind of the crucial words:“I trust you.”- Paul, in the October 23, 1995 issue of Newsweek, talking about completing “Free As A Bird” from John’s cassette demoIt sounds like the bloody Beatles!- Ringo, after first hearing the completed version of “Free As A Bird”Since November 1995 when the “Free As A Bird” video first aired at the conclusion of part one of the ABC-TV airing of The Beatles Anthology, Beatles fans have been having a splendid time finding all the Beatles references in the video.This feature is going to list absolutely every Beatles and post-Beatles references I could come up with in the “Free As A Bird” video.Some of these will seem obscure, but The Fab Four took great delight in embedding all kinds of arcane and odd references and images in their songs, so that is the spirit with which this list was compiled.Also, it is a certainty that many of the following song references were most assuredly not intentionally planted in the video, but the correlations between certain visual moments and Beatles lyrics is uncanny and so we’ve included everything and anything we could come up with for this compilation.(Special thanks to Tom Schultheiss of Popular Culture Ink for his invaluable Beatles lyric concordance Things We Said Today:The Complete Lyrics and a Concordance to The Beatles’ Songs, 1962-1970.)It is our belief that this is the most comprehensive compilation of “Free As A Bird” references to date.However, the author and publisher welcome hearing from readers who think they have found something we left out.I do not provide the times for the individual appearances of visual cues because the video is only a few minutes long and since this list is in chronological order, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a specific reference.And, of course, let’s not take all this too seriously, luvs, okay?We don’t want to start any rumors about secret messages hidden in the video.The last time a Beatles rumor got started, Paul had to prove to the world that he wasn’t dead, and so, we’ll have none of that, okay?(Just for conversation, though, do you think it’s a coincidence that I found precisely 112 individual images worth analyzing and that the Beatles songs alluded to came out to comprise a list of exactly 112 tunes?Just wondering.)By the way, I think that some allusions have previously been overlooked, specifically the references to individual Beatles works.Whether or not these additional references were actually intended is not known (no one’s talking) but there are unquestionably some “post-Beatles” references that jump out at the knowledgeable fan.For example, in the “Paperback Writer” scene (around two and a half minutes into the video), there’s a shot of John sitting in a chair watching the writer.Is it too much of a stretch to read this as a reference to “Watching the Wheels” from John and Yoko’s Double Fantasy album, specifically the lyric, “I’m just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round”?After all,we’ve all heard the expression in which the term “the wheels are turning” is used to metaphorically describe the thought process.So couldn’t John be sitting there watching the wheels go round and round in the writer’s head?Sure he could.So, for fun, there are a couple of instances in this feature where I refer to some solo Beatles’ songs.So put your finger on that “Pause” button and ready, steady, let’s go flying!1.Flapping wings/flying:“Free As A Bird” opens with the sound of a flying bird’s flapping wings, an auditory reference that can refer to several Beatles songs, including “Flying”; “And Your Bird Can Sing”; “Blue Jay Way”; “Blackbird” (“Take these broken wings and learn to fly”); “Back In The USSR” (“Flew in from Miami Beach”); “Mother Nature’s Son” (Listen to the pretty sound of music as she flies”); “I Am The Walrus” (“see how they fly”); “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey” (“The deeper you go, the higher you fly”); “Norwegian Wood” (This bird had flown”); “Cry Baby Cry” (“the local Bird and Bee”); “Dear Prudence” (“the birds will sing”); and, in the spirit of inclusiveness, the name of Paul’s first post-Beatles band, Wings.Also, the wings sound itself sounds like the beginning of the original version of “Across The Universe.”And, of course, the name of this new Beatles song is, duh, “Free As A Bird.”2.Photographs:The camera (bird) flies around the room and we see several photographs on the walls.This can refer to “A Day In The Life” (“I saw the photograph”); and “Penny Lane” (a barber showing photographs”).Also, the image of photographs refers to “In My Life” (“people and things that went before”); and “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away” (“Everywhere people stare”).Post-Beatles, Ringo also had a hit with a song called “Photograph.”3.The kite in the corner:This is probably a reference to “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!,” but there’s a more blatant “Mr. Kite” visual later in the video.[See no. 57]4.The Beatles as children:On the mantle we see framed photos of the Beatles as youngsters.(Left to right, we see Paul, John, Ringo, and George.)This image could refer to “Little Child”; “Help” (“when I was younger, so much younger than today”); “Hey Bulldog” (“Childlike, no-one understands”); “You Never Give Me Your Money” (“All good children go to heaven.”)Also, see the previous “photograph” reference.5.The coffee mug:Amidst the pictures of The Beatles sits a coffee mug with a woman’s face on it.Some fans have speculated that the woman on the mug is John’s mother Julia, but there is no concrete evidence of this.I tend to lean towards the line in “A Day In The Life” in which Paul tells us that he found his way downstairs “and drank a cup,” although the “Julia” speculation would fit with the idea of the video as a tribute to John.6.The sailor statue and the model ship:Next to the coffee mug on the mantle stands a figurine of a sailor, and a little ways over is the model of a ship.These could be a reference to John’s father, Freddie, a merchant seaman.Pertinent Beatles’ song references to these artifacts include “Honey Pie” (“Sail across the Atlantic” and “Kindly send her sailing back to me”); “All Together Now” (“Sail the ship”); “It’s All Too Much” (“Sail me on a silver sun”); and “Yellow Submarine” (“Lived a man who sailed to sea” and “So we sailed on to the sun”).Also, in Paul’s Wings song “Band On The Run,” there’s a line about “Sailor Sam.”7.The mother bunny and baby bunny:On the mantle are two bunny figurines, a larger one, followed by a little one.Since there are no blatant “rabbit” or “bunny” references in any of The Beatles’ songs, and since it is highly unlikely they were not placed there intentionally, the only interpretation I can come up with is that these two “hares” are a visual play on the Mop Tops’ scandalous “hair” in their early years.A stretch?Maybe, but I’m sure these two figurines don’t appear in the video accidentally.8.The clock on the mantle:In front of the model of the sailing ship is a clock that could be a part of the ship.For the few seconds in which the clock can be seen, it looks as though its hands are reading “7:40,” a time without any significance in any of The Beatles’ songs.But if you play the scene in slow motion and advance the tape one frame at a time as the camera pans across the clock, there are a few frames where it looks as though the hands are actually reading “11:13.”On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot at 10:49 P.M. and officially pronounced dead at 11:13 P.M.The hands could be shadows, or they could have been intentionally inserted by the Beatles and the director.If they were inserted, it makes sense, since “Free As A Bird” is a John Lennon composition and this would have been a nice way to pay tribute to John’s soul becoming “free as a bird.”If it’s just a visual illusion, then it once again illustrates the kind of myriad and profound impact the whole Beatles gestalt can have on its fans.Another interesting visual fluke visible when the clock appears to read 11:13 is that the hands that were seen earlier seem to blend into one curved shape that looks like a body.The “new” hour and minute hands (the “11:13” hands), then, appear to be arms extending out from the body -- just like the risen Christ seen on a crucifix.When you consider John’s early “The Beatles are more popular than Jesus” remark and also take into account the allegation by some of his biographers that he had a “Messiah” complex, then the mystery deepens, doesn’t it!?And to really add fuel to the fire, there is precisely one line in all of John’s work as a Beatle that may confirm this leitmotiv once and for all.(And I’m sure serious Beatlemaniacs have already made the connection.)The line is from “The Ballad Of John And Yoko,” specifically. “They’re gonna crucify me.”9.The butterfly on the wall:This is a reference to the line “When you sigh, my my inside just flies, butterfly” from “It’s Only Love.”10.The silver beetle on the mantle:The Beatles were known as The Silver Beatles in their early days (after the breaking up, re-forming, and re-naming of The Quarry Men.)11.The kitty on the chair:This could refer to the initially unreleased Lennon/McCartney song “Leave My Kitten Alone.”12.The two vases of flowers and the picture frame on the table:In addition to being the first of several “three” references (as in three surviving Beatles) these vases can refer to a couple of songs in The Beatles canon.If the flowers are made of cellophane, then a reference to “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” is obvious (“cellophane flowers of yellow and green,” and “as you drift past the flowers, that grow so incredibly high” are apropos -- the bird/camera drifts past the vases).Also, there’s a line about “picking flowers for a friend who came to play” in “Cry Baby Cry.”13.Aerial shots of Liverpool:Very briefly, the masts of a ship are seen as the bird swoops down to the docks.Also, a clock in the tower of a Gothic-style building is briefly seen.The time on it is 7:55, which does not have any meaning in The Beatles lyrics.However, this is one of several clock faces that are shown throughout the video, all of which display different times, which could be a referenceto the song, “Any Time At All.”14.Liverpool Docks:There are several allusions in the scene in which The Beatles walk with the dockworkers.First is the demeanor and bearing of the exiting workers.They are the quintessential manifestation of the people Paul described in “Eleanor Rigby” as “All the lonely people.”Another is the fact that the Liverpool Docks is where the ships arrived with rock-and-roll, blues, and Elvis forty-fives and albums from the United States back in the fifties; recordings that had an enormous influence on The Beatles.(Following their 1964 Australia tour, John said, “That’s all we ever played, American records.”)Also in this scene, we see the dock workers leaving work in the “Rain” for “A Hard Day’s Night” after they have obviously “been working like a dog.”15.The Cavern Club:This is obvious:Liverpool’s Cavern Club is where The Beatles performed in their early years.There are several visual allusions (Nos. 16 - 21) within this scene worth noting.16.The people in line:The crowd is eager with anticipation, but they are being forced to “Wait.”The sentiment of the band inside the club could be expressed by the line from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in which they tell the crowd “we hope you will enjoy the show.”Also, in “Good Morning, Good Morning” is the line, “Go to a show you hope she goes.”17.The woman with the ticket:One woman in line is offering a clearly visible “Ticket To Ride.”18.The woman in red:In the line can be seen one woman in a red coat (shades of Schindler’s List!).In “Yes It Is,” are the lines “If you wear red tonight,” and “red is the color that my baby wore.”19.The bouncer:The guy guarding the door has a no-nonsense “flat-top” haircut, as in “Here come old flat top” from “Come Together.”20.The see-through guy:Inside the Cavern Club, The Beatles are performing the song “Some Other Guy” (which is not heard) and in the audience is a skeletal figure with a halo of translucent hair.Several lyrical allusions come to mind regarding this guy, most notably the song “I’m Looking Through You.”Also, in “She Said, She Said” is the line “I know what it’s like to be dead,” (something this guy would seem to know, too!).Also, because of this guy’s “bony” bod, we might also cite the line “The worm he licks my bone” from “Yer Blues” as a possible allusion here.21.The too-eager fans:After we see a snippet of The Beatles performing, the bird swoops out of the Cavern Club where we see a couple of fans being forced back into line, probably being told to “Get Back.”22.Strawberry Field:The bird flies over the Strawberry Field (no final “s”) Salvation Army orphanage, a well-known Liverpool landmark and the inspiration for the title of one of John’s most famous songs, “Strawberry Fields Forever.”(John composed “Strawberry Fields” during the six weeks he spent on location in Spain filming How I Won the War.He was bored, and came up with a classic.)If we draw from John’s solo work, then the use of the orphanage may be an allusion to one of his most tormented songs, “Mother,” specifically the “orphaned” lines, “Mother, you left me” and “Mama don’t go.”23.The walker:Ringo is briefly seen walking a country lane near the orphanage carrying a walking stick.He is clearly a “Mother Nature’s Son” and his solitude brings to mind the sadness of “This Boy.”Also, in the song, “What Goes On” (sung by Ringo, remember) is the line, “The other day I saw you as I walked along the road.”And in “I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party” is the line, “I think I’ll take a walk and look for her.”In “When I Get Home,” John sings, ““Till I walk out that door again.”In “Good Day Sunshine” is the line, “We take a walk, the sun is shining down.”And most significantly, in “Good Morning, Good Morning” is the lyric, “Then you decide to take a walk by the old school.”24.The trees:In the “Strawberry Fields” scene, the camera/bird swoops up and down from tree tops to a tree trunk, visually illustrating John’s line from “Strawberry Fields Forever” in which he sings, “No one I think is in my tree, I mean it must be high or low.”25.The marketplace:The next segment of the video takes place on a busy Liverpool street lined with shops and jammed with people passing by.The “happy ever after in the market place” line from “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” comes immediately to mind.26.The “Silver” sign:On the building above the Eggman’s truck is the “Silver Hammer Hardware” sign, a reference to the Abbey Road song, “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”27.The “Dylan” sign:Next to the hardware store is a shop called Dylans, a nod to the line “Just like Dylan’s Mr. Jones” from “Yer Blues.”28.The eggman:The Liverpool Egg Co. delivery man is seen holding a tray of eggs, referring to the line in “I Am The Walrus” in which John sings, “I am the eggman.”29.The running children:We then see five children running towards us.We (and the bird) “see how they run” (from “Lady Madonna”).This scene also brings to mind the song “Little Child” which includes the line, “Don’t you run and hide, just come on, come on.”Also, in “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da” is the line, “with a couple of kids running in the yard of Desmond and Molly Jones.”Also, in “All I’ve Gotta Do” is the line, “you’ll come running home.”30.Holding hands:Three of the running children are holding hands, which is another “three” reference, as well as an allusion to the song, “I Want To Hold Your Hand.”Also, the song “If I Fell” has the line, “I found that love was more than just holding hands.”(Interestingly, if the three hand-holders were not two girls and a boy, it’s possible that these three kids could be “Vera, Chuck, and Dave” from “When I’m Sixty-Four.”)31.Paul, Ringo, and George come together:Briefly, The Beatles minus John (“one and one and one is three”) are seen crossing the street, providing another “Come Together” allusion.32.The covered truck:The three Beatles pass by a truck covered in a tarpaulin.On the tarp is written a word or words impossible to completely identify.The text could read “O sister”; “Dexter”; or “Oyster.”If it’s “O Sister,” the reference could be to one of Yoko Ono’s songs, the feminist rallying cry, “Sisters, O Sisters.”There are no mentions of the words “Dexter” or “Oyster” in The Beatles lyrics.One strong possibility is that the word could be “Disaster,” which could be a painful acknowledgment by the three surviving Beatles of John’s assassination.The tarp is, after all, seen with only Paul, George, and Ringo visible in the same shot.After the three lads pass out of camera range, they reappear on the opposite side of the street, but this time John is with them (he’s last in the procession), smirking at us with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.33.The fire engine fans:Two men are seen across the street from The Beatles admiring a fire engine, reminding us of the line “He likes to keep his fire engine clean” from “Penny Lane.”(Even though Paul has admitted that when he used the term “fire engine,” he was referring to a somewhat more personal type of “equipment,” possessed solely by the male of the species.)34.The taxmen:Two veddy proper elderly gentlemen -- British Prime Ministers Edward Heath and Harold Wilson -- pass by The Beatles, bringing to mind the lines “ha ha Mr. Wilson; ha ha Mr. Heath” from George’s song, “Taxman.”35.Happy Beatles:After the Taxmen pass by them, the four Beatles are all seen laughing and smiling, alluding to the line “Everybody’s laughing, everybody’s happy” from “Sun King.”36.The poppy lady:We next see that “a pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray” (a direct life from “Penny Lane”); and as the bird (camera) flies by her, the nurse stares directly at it, once again alluding to “I’m Looking Through You.”A couple of other images from this brief scene are worth noting, specifically the advertising message written on the nurse’s poppy tray, “Wear Your Poppy with Pride.”There are several relevant “pride” references in The Beatles’ canon, including “Pride can hurt you too” from “She Loves You,” and “true pride comes before a fall” from “I’m A Loser.”Also, the nurse’s customer may be lighting his pipe as the bird flies past him, which would be the first nod to the “choking smoker” lyric from “I Am The Walrus.”37.The barber shop:The barber shop has the sign “Coiffeur” in its window which might be an allusion to “Michelle,” the only Beatles song which has French lyrics.Also, there are photographs of the four Beatles in the barber shop’s window which is an illustration of the “Penny Lane” line, “there is a barber showing photographs of every head he’s had the pleasure to know.”These pictures could also visually allude back to the “hare/hair” image from the opening mantle scene.(After all, the only reason a barber shop would have photographs in their window would be to show passersby the haircuts of the people in the pix.)Also, a gentleman (who could be a banker) carrying a briefcase exits the barber shop as the bird flies by, probably alluding to the line “I see the banker sitting waiting for a trim,” also from “Penny Lane.”(We are obviously seeing him after his haircut.)The barber then greets a new customer, bringing to mind the song “Hello Goodbye.”38.The cigarettes sign:The second “choking smoker” allusion.39.Help:On the building is a hand-lettered sign (probably a “Help Wanted” sign) on which only the word “Help” is discernible.40.Does she want to know a secret?:A little boy cups his mouth to whisper something to a little girl, as in “Let me whisper in you ear” from “Do You Want To Know A Secret?”41.The two women:Two women exit the confectioner’s shop next door to the barber.One is dressed in an all-black shiny coat, alluding to the songs “Baby’s In Black” and “Polythene Pam.”The other woman is gorgeous, and also seems to be wearing some kind of raincoat.Could this woman be “Sexy Sadie”?This is probably a stretch because John wrote “Sexy Sadie” with the Marahishi Mahesh Yogi in mind.The more likely reference is to the line “Two of us wearing raincoats” from the song “Two Of Us.”An interesting visual element in this scene involves the car parked in the street in front of the shop.As the camera/bird passes by the shop, very briefly the top of the car looks like the cover of a closed coffin, yet another “death” reference.42.Ringo:As the bird flies by the “Penny Lane” bakery (“Penny” is lettered on the window), Ringo steps out a doorway onto the sidewalk.In the song “When I Get Home” is the line ““Till I walk out that door again.”A (weak) case could also be made for this image illustrating the line “In an octopus’s garden in the shade.”(It’s worth considering if only because “Octopus’s Garden” was written by Ringo.)Also, some fans have seen an “If I Fell” allusion here because Ringo is “falling” out of the shadows.43.The striped door:Very briefly, the camera pans over a closed door with a striped pattern on its window.This could be a reference to the line “When I came to your door” from “No Reply,” as well as the phrase “my old front door” from “Don’t Pass Me By.”44.The soda rack:In front of the bakery is a two-level rack on which soda is displayed for sale, which could be viewed as a generic reference to the “He shoot Coca-Cola” line from “Come Together.”45.The couple in the beetle:Inside what looks like a parked Volkswagen (known around the world as a “beetle”) are a couple in an amorous embrace, visually illustrating the song “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?”Also, the camera looks through the car window, once again alluding to “I’m Looking Through You.”46.The record store window:This window has several visible Beatles album covers, posters, and photographs.The graphic art identifiable includes Abbey Road; Let It Be; Meet the Beatles; With the Beatles!; a poster from the Shea Stadium concert; Help!; The Beatles [The White Album]; The Beatles Anthology; The Beatles Second Album, and the “I Want To Hold Your Hand” single sleeve photo.47.The birthday cake:In the bakery window is a birthday cake with “Happy Birthday” written on it.This refers to the song “Birthday,” as well as the lines “Birthday greetings” from “When I’m Sixty-Four” and “All the world is birthday cake” from the song “It’s All Too Much.”48.The frosting “64”:Also written on the cake is the number “64,” again referring to the song, “When I’m Sixty-Four.”49.The wedding cake:We also see a wedding cake in the bakery. a nod to the song “Eleanor Rigby,” specifically the line “where a wedding has been.”Also, in “The Ballad Of John And Yoko” is the line “You can get married in Gibraltar near Spain.”50.Driver George:The bird then flies across the street where we see George locking his car and pocketing his keys.The most obvious allusion here is to the song “Drive My Car.”A vague connection can also be made to the line “On the corner is a banker with a motorcar” from “Penny Lane.”51.The doctor’s office:George then enters 3 Saville Row (the black “3” on the right of the door is another “three” reference in the video), the actual late-Sixties location of Apple Headquarters, but for the purposes of this video, the offices of Dr. Robert.We learn this when the bird flies by a sign on the side of the building that says “Dr. Robert.”52.The runners:We then see people running along the sidewalk towards the scene of a car crash, which is the next segment of the video.This is another “see how they run” allusion from “Lady Madonna” as well as a reference to the song title “Run For Your Life.”We can also find allusions here to the lines “silly people they run around” from “Fixing a Hole”; “see how they run like pigs from a gun” from “I Am the Walrus”; “You got me running” from “What You’re Doing”; “running everywhere at such a speed” from “I’m Only Sleeping”; and “People running round it’s five o’clock” from “Good Morning, Good Morning.”53.The accident:A crowd gathers around an automobile accident, alluding to the line, “A crowd of people stood and stared” from “A Day In The Life.”There are several other Beatles’ lyrics and songs referred to here, the most obvious being “You were in a car crash” from “Don’t Pass Me By” and “He blew his mind out in a car” from “A Day In The Life.”Also, several children run up to a pregnant woman watching the accident, alluding to “Lady Madonna” again (the “children at your feet” line).54.The girl in shock:A young girl sits in the open side door of an ambulance, obviously in shock from the accident.It’s quite possible that she could be saying, “I nearly died,” a line from “No Reply.”Also, if she took a turn for the worse, her loved ones might have to be told “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl.”55.Policemen in a row:The bird then flies by four “pretty policemen in a row,” a visual reference to that line from “I Am The Walrus.”56.The helter skelter:The bird then flies up and past a spiral-slide lighthouse tower with minaret-type windows and a pennant on top.This structure is known as a helter skelter in England.57.The kite:The second kite in the video -- and the second reference to “Being FOr The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!” -- is then seen, this one flying in the sky.58.The ladder:“She Came In Through The Bathroom Window” is then alluded to by the sight of a foot disappearing into a small window off a ladder placed against the side of a tract house.59.The sunflower:A giant sunflower is seen next to the house with the ladder, alluding to “I’ll Follow The Sun” (that’s what sunflowers do), as well as once again referring to the flowers “that grow so incredibly high” from “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.”60.The piggies:We then see a big piggy followed by a group of little piggies running down an alley.This scene refers to the complete lyrics of George’s White Album song, “Piggies.”(The Beatles themselves are seen behind the piggies.)61.The lizard:The bird/camera then flies through an open window and very briefly, for only a few frames, there can be seen the small, dark outline of “a lizard on a window-pane” on the window glass, a reference to “Happiness Is A Warm Gun.”62.The paperback writer’s apartment:There are several Beatles references in this brief scene, the first being the resident of the apartment himself:We see a man sitting at a typewriter surrounded by books and papers.He is a “Paperback Writer.”63.The book:The bird flies over a paperback book that some fans have claimed is by Edgar Allan Poe.I could not read the author’s name although it does appear to be a three word name.If the tome is by Poe, then it is an obvious allusion to the line “Man you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allan Poe” from “I Am The Walrus.”64.The clock:The clock in the writer’s apartment reads approximately 10:10.A dubious link can be made here to the song “One After 909.”If you add “one” to each digit of 9:09, you get 10:10, right?65.The Queen:A picture of Queen Elizabeth is seen.This refers most blatantly to the song “Her Majesty” as well as the lyric, “in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen” from “Penny Lane.”Other “Queen” references in the Beatles lyrics are the lines “Cooking breakfast for the Queen,” “The Queen was in the parlor,” “The Queen was in the playroom,” and “look at the Queen”, all from “Cry Baby Cry.”Also, in “For You Blue” is the line “Queen says no to pot-smoking FBI member.”66.The newspaper:The paper seen is The Daily Mail,” referring to the line “His son is working for The Daily Mail” from “Paperback Writer.”67.The headline:The Daily Mail has a headline about “four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire,” a direct nod to the line “4000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire” from “A Day In The Life.”68.The ashtray:We see a cigarette burning in an ashtray, another reference to the “choking smoker” from “I Am the Walrus.”69.The glass onion:On top of the cabinet behind the writer’s desk sits a large, round, glass object that looks very much like a glass onion.If it is, it is a direct allusion to the song “Glass Onion” from the White Album.70.The candy box:A box on the table has “Savoy Truffle” on it, a nod to George’s White Album song of the same name.71.The apples:We then see a bunch of green apples in a basket, a reference to The Beatles’ company Apple.72.Chairman Mao:A photograph of Chairman Mao is seen in the window of the apartment.This probably refers to the line “carrying pictures of Chairman Mao” from “Revolution” but there is a more blatant nod to this image later.(See No. 81)73.The Beatles on TV:A clip from one of The Beatles’ performances on The Ed Sullivan Show is seen on the TV in the writer’s apartment.74.John:John is seen sitting in a chair watching the writer.As mentioned in the intro to this feature, this could be a nod to John and Yoko’s Double Fantasy song, “Watching The Wheels.”Also, John is seen tapping his foot in the air, which could be an allusion to “Old Brown Shoe.”Another interpretation of this scene is that it is a reference to “Come Together,” specifically the line that is most often cited as “hold you in his armchair you can feel his disease.”Some Beatles chroniclers have reported this “Come Together” line as “hold you in his arms till you can feel his disease,” but most lyric compilations and concordances use “armchair.”Perhaps settling the question once and for all, on Disc 2 of The Beatles Anthology 3, John can clearly be heard singing “armchair.”75.The roof:The bird then flies out of the writer’s apartment over a roof that has scaffolding on it because someone is “fixing a hole where the rain gets in,” illustrating the song “Fixing A Hole” from Sgt. Pepper.(This roof scene could also be a nod to The Beatles rooftop performance in Let It Be.76.The Blue Meanie:A nasty Blue Meanie pops his head up out of a hole in the roof, referring to The Beatles animated Yellow Submarine movie.77.The bulldog:A man is seen walking a bulldog, an allusion to the Yellow Submarine song, “Hey Bulldog.”78.The taxi:Swooping down over a residential side street, we then see a “newspaper taxi” (from “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”) pull up in front of a row house.A woman exits the building and gets into the taxi.Many fans have seen this as a reference to “She’s Leaving Home,” but since there’s a more obvious reference to this song later (No. 100) when we see a young woman sadly walking a road alone, this city scene is more likely an allusion to the lyric “I took a ride” from “Got To Get You Into My Life.”The line “The girl that’s driving me mad is going away” from “Ticket To Ride” also works here.Also, the line “Sunday mornings go for a ride” from “When I’m Sixty-Four” might work if we accept that all the Liverpool shops are open for business on Sundays.Adding weight to this would be the also pertinent line “You and me Sunday driving” from “Two Of Us.”(After all, someone else could be waiting in the cab for her, right?)79.John and Yoko:We briefly see John and Yoko, in a scene from the film Let It Be, waltzing in the street.This is a nod to “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You.”Also, the lyrics “how could I dance with another?” and “we danced through the night” from “I Saw Her Standing There” applies to this scene, as well as “won’t you dance with me?” from “Little Child.”The line “Let’s all get up and dance to a song” from “Your Mother Should Know” resonates here, as well as “I would like you to dance” from “Birthday” and “We would sing and dance around” from “Octopus’s Garden.”80.Another Blue Meanie:This one must be named “Mean Mr. Mustard” because he “sleeps in a hole in the road.”Also, this could be another allusion to the “four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire” line in “A Day In The Life.”81.Chairman Mao:Two people are seen carrying a large picture of Chairman Mao a block down from where the taxi stops.This is another “Revolution” reference, a more blatant one than No. 72.82.The bus:Very briefly, off in the distance can be seen passing by the street what looks like a brightly painted, multi-colored bus.Some fans have suggested that this is a visual allusion to the Beatles’ bus from “Magical Mystery Tour.”83.Bungalow Bill:The bird then glides into a gathering of many characters from The Beatles’ recordings.The first we see is Bungalow Bill, followed by his mother and leading a procession of guides and an elephant.This is an enactment of the lines “He went out tiger hunting with his elephant and gun/In case of accidents he always took his mom” from “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill.”84.Ringo:The procession passes Ringo sitting alone at a table.He takes a picture of the group, which could be another nod to his solo hit, “Photograph.”Also, in “It Won’t Be Long” is the line, “Here I am sitting all on my own.”And in “Tell Me Why” is the lyric, “But you left me sitting on my own.”85.The beefeaters:Leading Bungalow Bill’s procession are what looks like two beefeater guards of the English army in full dress uniform.This could be a visual allusion to the line “The English Army had just won the war” from “A Day In The Life.”86.Sean?At the end of Bungalow Bill’s procession is a guide who looks exactly like John and Yoko’s son, Sean Lennon.It might actually be Sean making a cameo appearance, but it’s more likely that they just hired an actor who looked like Sean -- John’s “Beautiful Boy” -- as a tribute to his father.(Interestingly, the Sean lookalike is the only one in the parade wearing modern eyeglasses.)87.The elephant:The huge animal following Bill and his mum could be an allusion to “She’s So Heavy” as well as “Carry That Weight.”88.The girl in the blue dress:The bird then flies by a dark-haired girl with a wine glass in her hand standing by a column talking to two men.There are shapes on her dress that some fans have interpreted as diamonds, which would make this woman “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.”The only problems are that the shapes are most definitely not diamond-shaped and she is not in the sky.I do think, however, that “Lucy” is being referenced here.For a couple of seconds, sunlight can be seen bathing the top of the girl’s hair.It isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine that she also has the sun in her face, leading us to the line “Look for the girl with the sun in her eyes” from “Lucy.”(The room where the cocktail party is being held has an open skylight through which the sun pours and through which the bird ultimately exits.)Another allusion in this scene might be found in the girl’s wine glass, referencing the line “drinking her wine” from “Norwegian Wood.”Also, the woman and the two men she’s talking to are yet another “three” image.89.Ravi Shankar:The bird flies by Indian musician Ravi Shankar sitting cross-legged playing the sitar.The legendary sitarist was a tremendous influence on George Harrison and inspired George to include Indian instruments like the tabla, swordmandel, dilruba, and tamboura on “Within You Without You” on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and in many of his solo pieces.90.Brian Epstein:The bird then flies by The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein who is seen wrapping a scarf around his neck.Epstein died in 1967 of an overdose of the drug Carbitral and this scene could be thought to be alluding to the line, “Some day you’ll find that I have gone” from “I’ll Follow The Sun.”91.The Sgt. Pepper scene:This scene briefly recreates part of the cover photo of the Sgt. Pepper album.Notable figures from the photo seen here are H. G. Wells, Lawrence of Arabia, Edgar Allan Poe, Marilyn Monroe, and a life-size photo of James Dean with Quarry Men bass player Stu Sutcliffe’s head attached.(I also see a guy dressed in white who reminds me of Mark Twain but since Twain does not appear on the Sgt. Pepper cover, it may not be him.)92.The Maharishi:Standing on the dais next to the James Dean/Stu Sutcliffe composite is the Marahishi Mahesh Yogi, the guru who inspired John to write “Sexy Sadie.”93.The sun:The bird then flies up into the blinding sunlight through an open, multi-paneled glass dome that is apparently known in England as a “Glass Onion.”This would be the second “Glass Onion” allusion if the one spotted in the Paperback Writer’s apartment is also correct.Also, the flight into the bright sun alludes to several Beatles tunes, most notably “I’ll Follow the Sun”; “Here Comes the Sun”; “Sun King”; “Rain” (“when the sun shines”); “Good Day Sunshine” (“the sun is shining down”); “I Am The Walrus” (“waiting for the sun”); “Dear Prudence” (“the sun is up”); “Mother Nature’s Son” (“sings a lazy song beneath the sun”); “It’s All Too Much” (“Sail me on a silver sun”); “I’ve Got A Feeling” (“Everybody saw the sun shine”); and “Two Of Us” (“Standing solo in the sun”).Also, allusions can be found in “The Word” (“It’s so fine, it’s sunshine”); and because of the many panes of sun-drenched glass, “Across The Universe” (“Images of broken light”).94.The cemetery:The bird then flies into a cemetery.A general reference to “Eleanor Rigby” can be cited just from the location:“buried along with her name.”95.The statue:We then see a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, alluding to the song “Lady Madonna” as well as the line “Mother Mary comes to me” from “Let It Be.”As the bird flies by, the statue turns its head to follow it.This could be a reference to the line “Watching her eyes and hoping I’m always there” from “Here, There And Everywhere.”96.The tombstone:We then see Eleanor Rigby’s actual grave marker, on which is written “In Loving Memory” above her name.97.Father McKenzie:The clergyman from the song walks away from the grave, illustrating the line from “As he walks from the grave” from “Eleanor Rigby.”98.Martha:As Father McKenzie walks away, a big sheep dog bounds across the grass.This is a reference to Paul’s pet, Martha the sheep dog, the canine that inspired him to write the song “Martha My Dear.”There is a more obscure reference here as well, specifically to the line, “Sheep dog standing in the rain” from “Hey Bulldog.”99.Paul:The bird then flies over a country road.We see Paul jumping around like “A Fool On The Hill.”100. “She is far away”:A woman carrying a suitcase is seen walking down the road, visually illustrating the title and lyrics of the song “She’s Leaving Home.”101.The car:A Rolls-Royce is seen driving away from the woman,another possible reference to “Drive My Car.”(The expensiveness of a Rolls has led some fans to see this as an allusion to “Baby, You’re A Rich Man.”)Other car references include the line “If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street” from “Taxman”; “He blew his mind out in a car” from “A Day In The Life”; and “You were in a car crash” from “Don’t Pass Me By.”102.The road:Off in the distance can clearly be seen a “long and winding road.”103.Mountains:In the distance, far beyond the road, can be glimpsed “snow-capped mountains” which could be an allusion to that image and line from “Back in the USSR.”104.Abbey Road:The bird then flies over the famous Abbey Road intersection that appears on the cover of the Abbey Road album.A Volkswagen is parked at the curb, referring to the VW (another “Beetle”) with the license plate “28IF” on the original cover that was supposed to be telling fans that Paul would have been twenty-eight if he had lived.105.Rita?:A woman is seen crossing Abbey Road and walking towards the Volkswagen.She is wearing a dress and a hat, but it is unclear whether or not it’s a uniform.Since she also appears to be carrying a pad (as in a citations pad) this would seem to be Rita the meter-maid from “Lovely Rita.”(Just before she disappears out of frame, it looks like she veers slightly towards the front of the Volkswagen, as though she were going to write a ticket and place it on the windshield.)106.The chairs:On the balcony above the entrance to the concert hall can be seen three chairs, providing yet another “three” reference and once again illustrating the “One and one and one is three” line from “Come Together.”107.The concertgoers:The bird then follows a group of people into a concert hall.Since we then see the conclusion of a performance, we must assume that these people are filing in for the next show, a reference to the line “We hope you will enjoy the show” from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”They are waiting for “the singer” to “sing a song.”(Also, if the concert hall is the Albert Hall, then “A Day In The Life” is being alluded to again.108.The joker:A joker in a pointed hat is briefly seen backstage, alluding to “Don’t you think the joker laughs at you” from “I Am The Walrus.”109.The spotlight:The ukulele player is bathed in a bright white spotlight, a reference to “The Inner Light.”110.The ukulele player:He is obviously playing a song from years past, which could be a nod to the line “a song that was a hit before your mother was born” from “Your Mother Should Know.”111.The curtain:The curtain comes down on the performer, alluding to “The End.”112.John and the backwards message:John is heard saying the words “Made by John Lennon” which, when played backwards, are heard as “Turned out nice again, didn’t it?”It certainly did.The 111 Beatles Songs Alluded To in the "Free As A Bird” Video

“All Together Now”

“And Your Bird Can Sing”

“Any Time At All”

“Baby You’re A Rich Man”

“Baby’s In Black”

“Back In The USSR”

“The Ballad Of John And Yoko”

“Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!”

“Birthday”

“Blackbird”

“Blue Jay Way”

“Carry That Weight”

“Come Together”

“The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill”

“Cry Baby Cry”

“A Day In The Life”

“Dear Prudence”

“Do You Want To Know A Secret?”

“Don’t Pass Me By”

“Dr. Robert”

“Drive My Car”

“Eleanor Rigby”

“Everybody’s Got Something To Hide (Except For Me And My Monkey)”

“Fixing A Hole”

“Flying”

“The Fool On The Hill”

“For You Blue”

“Free As A Bird”

“Get Back”

“Glass Onion”

“Good Day Sunshine”

“Good Morning, Good Morning”

“Happiness Is A Warm Gun”

“A Hard Day’s Night”

“Hello Goodbye”

“Help”

“Helter Skelter”

“Here Comes The Sun”

“Here, There And Everywhere”

“Hey Bulldog”

“Honey Pie”

“I Am The Walrus”

“I Don’t Want To Spoil The Party”

“I Saw Her Standing There”

“I Want To Hold Your Hand”

“I’ll Follow The Sun”

“I’m A Loser”

“I’m Happy Just To Dance With You”

“I’m Looking Through You”

“I’m Only Sleeping”

“I’ve Got A Feeling”

“If I Fell”

“In My Life”

“The Inner Light”

“It Won’t Be Long”

“It’s All Too Much”

“It’s Only Love”

“Lady Madonna”

“Leave My Kitten Alone”

“Little Child”

“The Long And Winding Road”

“Lovely Rita”

“Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds”

“Magical Mystery Tour”

“Martha My Dear”

“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”

“Mean Mr. Mustard”

“Michelle”

“Mother Nature’s Son”

“No Reply”

“Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”

“Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da”

“Octopus’s Garden”

“Old Brown Shoe”

“One After 909”

“Paperback Writer”

“Penny Lane”

“Piggies”

“Polythene Pam”

“Rain”

“Revolution”

“Run For Your Life”

“Savoy Truffle”

“Sexy Sadie”

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”

“She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”

“She Loves You”

“She Said, She Said”

“She’s So Heavy”

“Strawberry Fields Forever”

“Sun King”

“Taxman”

“Tell Me Why”

“The End”

“This Boy”

“Ticket To Ride”

“Two Of Us”

“Wait”

“What You’re Doing”

“When I Get Home”

“When I’m Sixty-Four”

“Why Don’t We Do It In The Road?”

“Within You Without You”

“The Word”

“Yellow Submarine”

“Yer Blues”

“Yes It Is”

“You Never Give Me Your Money”

“You’re Gonna Lose That Girl”

“You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away”

“Your Mother Should Know”

“Real Love”The Song:The years 1995 and 1996 were busy ones for the late John Lennon:He had two new songs out, and also appeared in a 10-hour documentary.When Yoko gave Paul, George, and Ringo John’s cassette demo of John’s incomplete song “Free As A Bird” in 1994, they went to work, actually writing additional new material for the song and putting together an ingeniously complex and referential video.“Real Love,” on the other hand, was a completely finished song when Yoko turned over the tape to the other Beatles.John had recorded the entire song alone at the piano, and then later added a second vocal line and a drum machine.The finished version of “Real Love” as it appears on Anthology 2 is credited to John Lennon alone.(“Free As A Bird” is likewise credited to John Lennon as an “Original composition,” but the “Beatles version” is credited to all four Beatles.)“Real Love” is an infectious tune that John recorded at home in late 1979 during his “house husband” years.(“Beautiful Boy,” the gorgeous Double Fantasy ballad, was also recorded at home during this period.)John recorded seven almost identical demos of “Real Love” (which for a time had the working title of “Real Life.”)Take 6 had previously been released on the Imagine: John Lennon soundtrack and it isn’t known what take Yoko turned over to the other Beatles, although it probably doesn’t make that much difference if the takes were all essentially the same.Paul, George, and Ringo are at the top of their game with their work on “Real Love.”According to the liner notes for Anthology 2, they started working on the song about a year after they finished “Free As A Bird.”Paul and George added acoustic guitars; George played lead guitar; and Ringo played drums.Also, Paul played not one, but two bass tracks for the recording, one of which was performed on the original stand-up double bass that Bill Black had played on Elvis’s song “Heartbreak Hotel.”(How’s that for a musical lineage?)Backing vocals were sung by Paul and George and Paul also sang John’s part to bolster the “occasionally thin” sound of John’s lead vocal.There are some especially nice musical touches in “Real Love,” most notably Ringo’s absolutely perfect drumming; George’s lead guitar work, and the harmonies.Also, in the last few seconds of the song can be heard what sounds like a banjo, but which is probably just a honky tonk piano.Nonetheless, it’s a nice touch and is representative of the care and musical skill put into transforming a hissy, clicking, buzzing demo tape into a Beatles record -- and a damn good Beatles record at that.The Video:Work on recording “Real Love” - the song -- began in February 1995 in Paul McCartney’s home studio, The Mill.The video for this song, directed by Kevin Godley, was nowhere near as elaborate as that for “Free As A Bird” and consists mainly of scenes from the “Real Love” recording sessions interspersed throughout with Beatles career footage (Magical Mystery Tour, Let It Be, the “Hello, Goodbye” video, the Our World performance, etc.); and clips from Imagine .Paul McCartney has an incredible home recording studio and one of the real thrills for Beatles fans is this chance to see inside this hallowed sanctum sanctorum.The “Real Love” video is probably as close as we’re going to get to a guided tour of The Mill and, as such, it is great fun to watch.The video begins with John’s white piano rising into the skies above the Liverpool docks (to heaven?) and the video focuses heavily on John throughout its four minutes.The editing in this video is brilliant.There is a line in “Real Love” where John sings “Accept you where my life will go.”The editors found a clip of John from the Let It Be/White Album days where he is singing words that perfectly match the last three of four syllables of the “Real Love” line, giving the impression that John was in the studio recording the song with the other Beatles.An extremely powerful moment.(They also use an early clip of John strumming a guitar in time to “Real Love” that works just as well.)I personally would have preferred more scenes of Paul, George, and Ringo recording the song in the studio.A couple of times we see George playing the actual riff we’re hearing, or we see Ringo playing the drum track to the song in real time and these, without question, are the most memorable moments in the video.Actually seeing The Beatles performing together again live in a studio is an experience that cannot be adequately described by most fans.We could have used more of that.Overall, the “Real Love” video is a wonderful companion piece to “Free As A Bird” and what these two marvelous Beatles creations do is make us want more.If I had one “Beatles” wish, it would be that Paul, George, and Ringo somehow find a way to work on the more than two dozen surviving John Lennon compositions and do a whole album of brand new Beatles songs, in the tradition of “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love.”Yoko has the tapes; the three surviving Beatles are all back on good terms with her.The success of the Anthology and the new tunes might spur them all to go even further with John’s demo tapes.And if they did, the world would then be gifted with a brand new Beatles album.Imagine.